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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

Quantum Quest: A Cassini Odyssey, a science fiction meets science fact, 3D, large-format CGI-animated film, will take you on a fantastic atomic journey through space. Quantum Quest combines a captivating science fiction story with a mind-blowing real safari through the solar system (created using radar data and extraordinary imagery from seven NASA missions). The film is the only one to be initiated by JPL/NASA and is sponsored by JPL/NASA and DigiMax Animation Studios.

Quantum Quest tells the story of Dave (Chris Pine) a photon who refuses to grow up and leave the Sun. Until one day, circumstances force him on a quest to save his fellow photons from being annihilated by THE VOID (Mark Hamill) and his anti-matter forces lead by Admiral Fear (Samuel L. Jackson), General Ignorance (Tom Kenny) and Major Moron (Jason Alexander). THE VOID desires everything that exists to be destroyed, for THE VOID is that which existed before the universe was born. THE CORE is a being that lives in our Sun, he seeks to stop THE VOID. His children are photons, neutrinos and photons born in the core of the Sun. The best of the best of the "Sun Citzens" are selected to join The Core's Battle Fleet which fights the anti-matter forces of THE VOID.

Quantum Quest is scheduled for worldwide release in theaters in September 2009.

Robert Pearlman

Quantum Quest now has its own website, where the cast is confirmed to include Neil Armstrong, who will play Jake Doohan:

"Hi, I'm Jake Doohan. I spend much of my time exploring the world looking for meteorites. In space meteorites are called meteoroids. I have found meteorites in the Antarctica that come from the moon and some that may come from Mars. Other meteorites I have found in the Amazon that come from asteroids and in New Mexico from a comet. Meteorite hunting is but one fun activity that anyone can enjoy. I urge you to explore the education center where you can learn all kinds of things about our solar system, particle physics, and science."

Robert Pearlman

A few reports from today's Comic-Con Quantum Question panel.

During the session itself, Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait filed a few reports over Twitter:

At the Quantum Quest panel, with Anousheh Ansari (female private space traveler) and Robert Picardo (The Cowboy from Inner Space).

QQ is a film originated by NASA, about a photon's journey form the Sun on adventures. Not exactly sure what that means yet.

Good heavens. Tom Kenny is doing a voice in the movie too! He is the voice of Spongebob.

Quantum Quest (aiming for a September 2009 release in both IMAX 3D and RealD) just had its panel, and the artwork and early CG animation they showed look very promising. The opening shot -- moving through the ice chunks of Saturn's rings until we rest on the Cassini craft -- is breathtaking. Moreover, the passion of the NASA/JPL scientists, astronauts, writers, and voice actors involved in the project is contagious.

Despite the educational outreach efforts of the film, the panel made it clear that Quantum Quest is first and foremost a great, fun time at the movies, and promised that it will be spectacular when viewed in 3-D.

According to Stat, Neil Armstrong and Chris Pine both recorded personal messages for the Comic-Con audience.

Stan Lowry with Discover's Science Not Fiction blog also took notes during the panel. Among his thoughts:

Clearly, we wish these guys well. Nothing would make us happier at Discover than to have an astronomy movie written by NASA scientists penetrate the public consciousness in some meaningful way.

Panel includes space tourist Anousheh Ansari, at least five guys from various iterations of Star Trek and the voice of SpongeBob. Audience seems to be mostly Trekkies.

If they can actually pull this off, QQ has the potential to be awesome.

The movie features the voices of two Captain Kirks (veteran William Shatner and Chris Pine, star of JJ Abrams' upcoming "Star Trek" movie) and two Darth Vaders (James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen) -- a first for Hollywood and a first for the galaxy. "Quantum Quest" will premiere in Large Format and conventional theaters in late 2009. The film is presented by Digimax, the premier digital content provider in Taiwan, and sponsored in part by NASA's JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory). It is produced by Digimax and Jupiter 9 Productions, a full service Hollywood production company. Shawn Clement ("Open Season," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is the composer.

"Quantum Quest" is a sci-fi action film set in a scientifically accurate rendering of our solar system in 3-D stereoscopic. Visually, the film blends computer animation with the fantastic images captured during recent NASA space explorations including the international Cassini Huygens mission. The audience is taken on a simulated solar safari, exploring the outer planets and moons of our solar system such as Titan, a moon of Saturn that has rainfall, rivers, and giant lakes of natural gas.

Directed by Dan St. Pierre and Dr. Harry Kloor, and written and conceived by Dr. Kloor, "Quantum Quest" tells the story of an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. The central character is Dave (Chris Pine), a photon who lives in the Sun, who with his people, is drawn into a galactic battle between THE CORE (William Shatner, the embodiment of the Sun, representing life and knowledge) and THE VOID (Mark Hamill, the embodiment of Nothingness, who wishes for total annihilation of the universe).

"Quantum Quest" was initiated by NASA's JPL as part of the outreach program of the Cassini Huygens space mission in 1996, as a project that would be entertaining as well as having underlying scientific educational goals. It is the first time that NASA's JPL has ever initiated a film project and the first time that famed Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the surface of the Moon, has participated in a feature film, lending his voice to one of the characters.

Neil Armstrong serves as one of four distinguished Education Ambassadors for "Quantum Quest." Other Educational Ambassadors are NASA's liaison on the film, Charles Kohlhase, who has led the design of deep-space robotic missions to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune and has received NASA's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal; Anousheh Ansari, the world's first female private space explorer and serial entrepreneur and co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems, and Dr. Peter Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation (which awarded the $10M Ansari X PRIZE), CEO of Zero Gravity Corporation, Chairman & Co-Founder of the Rocket Racing League and co-Founder of the International Space University.

Producers are Dr. Kloor, President of Jupiter 9 Productions, Helen Pao-Yun Huang, Chairperson of Digimax, Jeff Tzong-Jer Yang, Vice President of Digimax, and Rayna Napali of Jupiter 9 Productions. Tom Teng from Digimax, Teddy Zee, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Jon Vein are executive producers. The film will be released worldwide in large format and subsequently in conventional 3D theaters at the end of 2009. The film is distributed and marketed in Asia by Digimax, and by Jupiter 9 Productions in all other territories.

FFrench

I saw this movie today in IMAX as part of a San Diego preview event. It's interesting how immediately recognizable Armstrong's voice is.